Buy a home as a home

Don't buy a home as an investment. Buy it to be your home. If you happen to make money on it someday that's a plus but you have to like, and be able to afford, where you live first.

Too many homebuyers are talked into buying more home than they can afford because they constantly hear it referred to as an investment. Then they end up in foreclosure because they let someone else tell them what to do with their money.
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“Same as cash”

Subscribe to the “same as cash” program all the time. How? Use cash, that’s how.

Using cash as your personal financial barometer is a good measure (pun intended) as to what you can and can't afford. If you have the cash you can afford it. If you do not . . . you get the idea.




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Do your own research

Do your own research. Finance is really very simple. Don’t let others who create financial schemes or give financial advice for their own livelihood confuse things.

The world of money has its own unique language but it all comes down to a basic principle, "Don't spend what you don't have!"
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You are the only one who really cares

You are the only one who really cares about your own finances. So quit waiting around for someone else to come up with solutions to fix your problems.

Money is one of the easiest problems to solve. If you want to have more money you need to earn more. If you want to have less debt you need to pay back those you owe.
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Quit complaining

Utilities aren't forced upon you. They are choices.

You don’t have to have running water, electricity, hot water, heat. These are services most people pay for because they like to be warm, washed, and otherwise comfortable. So, quit complaining about how much they cost.

Complaining should be saved for your debts.
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No fun there

Do you really want to go to a job every week to make money you've already spent? No fun there. Get ahead of this one, your sanity depends upon it.

If you buy on credit you are promising to pay with future dollars you will someday earn.

If you use cash you will pay with dollars you have already earned.

This concept alone should make you rethink purchases you were considering making using credit.
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Always know where you stand

If you use cash you always know where you stand financially. No mystery there.

Studies show those who use credit cards, even debit cards, spend more than those who use cash. The idea is that you are more aware of what you spend if you actually see it leaving your hands.

You also set a good example for your children. If they see you using plastic what behavior will they think is acceptable when it is their turn?
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